Fibrous tissues useful in providing tissue products for skin contact are most frequently simple paper tissues, which find extensive use in modem society and are well known in the art. They are sometimes called paper webs or sheets, tissues, tissue layers, paper plies or paper tissue webs, and products made there from, such as paper handkerchiefs, paper kitchen towels or bath tissues, toilet paper or facial tissues.
Paper tissues, or more generally fibrous tissues of the present context, are generally made by the layering of fibers, mostly cellulose fibers, in a wet form, onto a screen, with the addition of various additives or other ingredients, optionally including other, natural or synthetic fibers, followed by a drying step. Other process steps, before, during or after the above-mentioned paper tissue making steps are targeted at giving the desired properties to the tissue. Converting steps are aimed at creating a finished product from the tissue(s).
Products made from fibrous tissues can be made by the association of multiple layers of tissues, also called plies, or can comprise a single tissue layer (single ply products). Those plies can be combined and held together in multiple ways to form the finished product, for example by embossing of the multi-ply structure or/and by gluing. The finished products are herein referred to as paper tissue products or fibrous tissue products. Finished products made of more than one ply have internal tissue (or ply) surfaces, inwardly orientated, and two external surfaces, outwardly orientated.
It has long been recognized that important physical attributes of these paper tissue products are their strength and thickness/bulkiness, their softness and smoothness, and their absorbency. Softness and smoothness relate to the tactile sensation perceived by the consumer when holding a particular product, rubbing it across the skin, or crumpling it within the hands.
Relatively thick and yet soft disposable paper products, namely in the form of paper handkerchiefs, are known. For example, Tempo™, sold by The Procter & Gamble Company, is a multi-ply paper product experienced as thick and soft and having a caliper of about 0.3 mm. A high caliper conveys the idea of high dry and wet strength to the consumer. A high wet strength, also referred to as wet burst strength, in particular prevents tearing or bursting, which for a paper handkerchief in turn results in contamination of the user's hand with mucus or other body fluids.
A common way to enhance the smoothness of the tissue surface is to calender the material. Another way to improve the sensation of smoothness perceived by the users of paper tissue products, such as handkerchiefs, is to complement the composition of the tissue with some additives during the paper-making phase and/or during the converting phase. Those additives can have the effect of smoothening the tissue in a way that makes the user feel it more soft or smooth. Alternatively or additionally some additives have an effect on the skin of the user touching or using the paper tissue product, e.g. smoothening of the skin or hydration of the skin. These later effects are usually obtained through a partial transfer of the additives onto the skin during usage, thus prolonging the effect of the additives on the skin beyond the period of contact between the paper-tissue product and skin.
Smoothening lotions are usually of hydrophobic nature or contain hydrophobic compounds. Thus, the presence of the lotion at the surface of the paper tissue product can have adverse effects on the properties. For example, the masking of the hydrophilic tissue surface can reduce the absorbency or the speed of absorbency. Further, the lotion can migrate from the tissue surface into the structure making the tissue less hydrophilic and reducing the lotion available at the surface to deliver the smoothening benefits to the skin. Increasing the amount of lotion can in turn create an excess of lotion on the tissues creating a greasy feeling during use and further reducing the absorbency.
Even if such problems of the smoothening of the skin of users of tissue products are addressed there remain improvement aspects for tissue products, especially during high frequency usage conditions when a user suffers from a cold or allergy induced runny nose and breathing difficulties often together with other discomfort referred to as rhinological discomfort. Relieving, for example cold or allergy induced symptoms, whether by physiological reaction, by sensory effects on the skin of the user, or combinations thereof, as a result of usage of conventional tissue products would be highly desirable. Thereby also the length of rhinological discomfort and the amount of tissue product required by the user can be reduced. Another added benefit is a direct reduction of the time for transmitting viral or bacterial causes of such discomfort. This follows the well known medical principle that fast relief also reduces the contamination probability.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a fibrous tissue exhibiting a physiological and/or sensory rhinological discomfort relieve.
Further, there is a need for providing such a solution in an efficient, safe, affordable way, especially by providing the discomfort relieve with high efficacy, e.g. by ensuring good transferability, long exposure to the discomfort relieve means without unacceptable loss of other important tissue attributes, such as absorbency, strength or softness of tissues.